Key Accomplishments

Resource Library:

The office/resource library has been open all year (with only a few holidays), staffed by volunteers, five days a week from 12 to 4 pm.

We have continued to receive new additions to the resource library. Drop-in visits to the library are gradually increasing, and an Oakville middle school student actually used the library to prepare a school report. This report is being printed in Drops of Water.

The office has been used for meetings of the Chehalis River Basin Land Trust, the Chehalis Basin Fisheries Task Force, and the Chehalis Watershed Coalition. In the summer, a small group of students involved in restoration work used the office for a classroom once a week.

We continue to maintain a file of SEPA applications for the watershed on our web site. This file is much easier to use than the DOE's website.

We also keep up-to-date an internet file of all FPA permit applications in this watershed.

Basin Coordination:

Six CRC seminars were held in 1997 on such topics as wetlands, flood issues, estuaries, Nature Conservancy, surface/ground water interactions, and Centralia wastewater plant.

Beginning in July, we began sending an Insiders Newsletter just to members so they can be better informed about board activities.

In April, the CRC participated in the formation of the Chehalis Watershed Coalition, an organization of activist organizations in the basin concerned with water quality.

The CRC web site is comprehensive and up-to-date on water issues worldwide.

Shade the Chehalis (part of our original DOE grant):

The board finished editing the Shade the Chehalis manual. Brochures are also available. We sponsored a planting/picnic along the Black River that was well-covered by the Chronicle.

Basin Map:

The basin map continues to be our most popular handout and has been widely distributed throughout the year.

Drops of Water

Patching together a variety of funding sources, we continue to publish the monthly Drops of Water newspaper insert, which is distributed to almost every household in the watershed. Over 45,000 copies are distributed monthly. US Fish and Wildlife Service has been our major support for this project, with help from Weyerhaeuser penalty funds. The response to this publication has been highly favorable.

Taking a Stand

The CRC board commented, appealed, and wrote letters on the following issues in 1997.

Lewis County flood control planning

Estuary siting of Stafford Creek prison in Grays Harbor

Fill and development of American Crossarm & Conduit EPA site, Chehalis

"Chehalis Landing" fill in the floodplain

Coastal erosion issues

DOE 319 grant process (not just on our behalf but on behalf of all nonprofits)

Nucor steel mill proposal for Grays Harbor

Brooks Gravel Pit proposal -- CRC sent a letter supporting this proposal

Centralia Mining Company renewal of NPDES permit

Large subdivision planned for Mima Prairie

HB 2514

Many of these "Taking a Stand' documents are available at Hot Topics or under Coastal Concerns

Other Activities

The CRC brought a U.S. Army Corp of Engineers flood model to the Lewis County Mall and, with support from the Chehalis Watershed Coalition, provided information to many interested people.

We participated with the Sasquatch Sierra Club chapter and the Grays Harbor Audubon Society in a field trip to Bowerman Basin.

With the Chehalis Watershed Coalition, we sponsored a seminar on the SEPA process with participate from the state, county and city officials.

In 1998, the CRC will serve as fiscal agent for Friends of Grays Harbor (FOGH). We welcome the opportunities that have developed this year for close relations with groups such as FOGH, Preservation of the Upper Chehalis, Chehalis River Basin Land Trust, the Surfriders, and the other groups who participate in the Chehalis Watershed Coalition.

Future Challenges and General Comments

Although the CRC board fulfilled its 1997 goal of becoming more active on water issues in the basin, we need more support from our members on this. It takes many hours to research and write comments and appeals. We need people who will volunteer to follow and recommend action on a particular issue. We also need the support of more volunteers in the office. New volunteer Jenny Holderman has been a great help, but we need more volunteers. Primary duties include answering the telephone and opening and distributing the mail. This is a great opportunity to explore in depth the resources available in the library.

Although funding continues to be a major challenge, greater participation by members and volunteers is our biggest challenge area . Membership has grown and contributions from individuals have increased (see attached chart). We need to find ways to tap the skills and resources of our members so that our influence can expand in the basin. We need to continue to pursue grants vigorously and effectively. David Spogen and Dave Palmer spent countless hours visiting potential supporters for Drops of Water and for the CRC.

With the passage last term of HB 2504, and the filing of a new watershed management bill this term (HB 2514), the CRC needs to find ways to participate in watershed planning without losing its distinctive voice as an advocate for the basin's natural resources.

Final grant reports have been made to both the U.S. EPA and Washington Department of Ecology (DOE). The DOE grant period ended September 30, 1997.

The Board of Trustees welcomes your ideas and your views of the role of this organization.